You may recall a few years ago when, in 2014, Burton launched a Kickstarter to revive the show through his production company, RRKidz—he had already begun negotiating with Netflix to launch a new Reading Rainbow. WNED, the public broadcasting station in Buffalo, New York, where Reading Rainbow originated, immediately put a halt on the project despite Burton’s deal with the station to use Reading Rainbow-related IP in his future endeavors. As The Hollywood Reporter explains:
WNED’s interpretation of the agreement is that the 2011 deal represented a “divide and conquer” approach to the renaissance of Reading Rainbowwhereby RRKidz would be allowed to take over digital distribution of the series while the broadcaster would focus on making new episodes. Profits were to be split.
But then in 2014, Burton launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the show’s revival and brought in $6.5 million. WNED was upset at the loss of control and further alleges that its own efforts to develop a new series were undermined when RRKidz along with The Jim Henson Co. began secretly negotiating with Netflix for a new Reading Rainbow series. In response to the allegation, RRKidz said the Netflix discussions pertained to an original concept and not Reading Rainbow.
OK, fine: None of us—not you, not your little cousins, not even beloved children’s show host LaVar Burton—can have a new Reading Rainbow. But, naturally, the plot of this story is much more complex than a picture book.
In June, Burton launched a new podcast: LaVar Burton Reads. Yes, it is about reading. And LaVar Burton is attached—he is quite literally reading things into a microphone. Hell, it even has “reads” in the title. Annnnnd, well, Burton himself referred to it on it the first episode as “a Reading Rainbow for adults.” So, naturally, WNED is suing him again—even going so far to call him out for using the Reading Rainbow catchphrase, “…but you don’t have to take my word for it.” As THR reports, “WNED argues that the slogan has become ‘immutably associated with Reading Rainbow’ and that Burton’s use in a manner not authorized by WNED causes confusion, mistake or deception as to the origins.”
Article Appeared @http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/news/a56881/lavar-burton-sued-reading-rainbow-podcast/